Midnight Express is a harrowing tale of a na´ve American caught in a nightmare of his own making thousands of miles from his home. Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is an American tourist visiting Turkey with his girlfriend Susan (Irene Miracle)… MoreMidnight Express is a harrowing tale of a na´ve American caught in a nightmare of his own making thousands of miles from his home. Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) is an American tourist visiting Turkey with his girlfriend Susan (Irene Miracle) when he's caught by customs officials trying to smuggle a large amount of hashish out of the country. The crime would normally carry a sentence of four years, but officials decide to make an example of Billy, and he draws a 30-year sentence despite the promises of his Turkish legal counsel. While Susan and Billy's father (Mike Kellin) pledge to do everything they can to speed Billy's release, in fact there's little than can be done. Billy quickly finds himself in a hellish prison that's a nightmare of filth, violence, rape, inedible food, and unspeakable health conditions. However, Billy gains a few confidantes behind bars: Jimmy (Randy Quaid), an American in a constant state of emotional overdrive; Max (John Hurt), an intelligent, drug-addicted Englishman; and Erich (Norbert Weisser), a gay Scandinavian who is attracted to Billy but accepts his gentle refusals of sex. Before long, Billy is convinced that he can take no more, and he makes plans to take the "midnight express" -- jailhouse slang for escape. While his friends are willing to help, they also make clear that almost no one who has tried to escape has lived to tell the tale. Based on a true story, Midnight Express was a box-office hit which won wide acclaim for the performances of Brad Davis and John Hurt; and the screenplay, by Oliver Stone, won an Academy Award. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Horrific scenes of prison brutality and powerful acting by Brad Davis as the American Billy Hayes help make up for the shortcomings in Alan Parker's sensationalistic tale and Oliver Stone's factual inaccuracies.

Wonderful, crime drama, Midnight Express is a captivating, thoroughly engaging picture, one that is raw, poignant and stomach turning as you watch the… MoreWonderful, crime drama, Midnight Express is a captivating, thoroughly engaging picture, one that is raw, poignant and stomach turning as you watch the man's ordeal unfold as he tried unsuccessfully to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. Some scenes in the film are downright brutal, and under the skilled eye of director Alan Parker, he captures it in such through his camera lens that you cannot deny the power that this film holds. Parker has made some outstanding pictures throughout his career, some soar to cinematic legend that belong up there with some of the medium's most powerful, and classic films. The film is dramatic, tense, and really in your face, and it doesn't shy away at showing you what this was really like. Brilliantly constructed in terms of tension and drama, Midnight Express is like I said, raw, gritty and poignant, but it's a beautifully made picture that manages to stand out due to its entrancing storyline. The script is solid, the cast display some determination to really suck you into the film, and the result is a one of a kind drama that should not be missed. This is a standout picture, a film that sticks with out, and will make think about what you have just seen. Midnight Express is top-notch filmmaking at its very best. This is a picture so entertaining that it's hard to turn your back on it. So if you're in the mood for something truly captivating and riveting right up to the final frame, Midnight Express is a definite must see. I very much enjoyed the film, and thought it had the right balance dramatic and crime elements to create something unique.

Liam Gadd

One of the most intense films I've ever seen. Fantastic performances, nail biting and suspenseful throughout and a brutal but superb depiction of the… MoreOne of the most intense films I've ever seen. Fantastic performances, nail biting and suspenseful throughout and a brutal but superb depiction of the horror that can go on in a prison.

Dan Schultz

A damning, swift kick to international justice systems, dealing with a young drug-smuggler (Brad Davis) who is dealt more than what he should be in his sentence… MoreA damning, swift kick to international justice systems, dealing with a young drug-smuggler (Brad Davis) who is dealt more than what he should be in his sentence to a Turkish prison, where he encounters torture on a daily basis and insanity creeping in ever so slowly. This is a phenomenal drama that rests firmly on the shoulders of Davis, whose slow-burn performance is utterly gripping. At first you don't like this guy, he's just some punk kid who probably could use a lesson. However, as the film goes on and you begin to see the injustices that occur routinely, it is hard not to sympathize with this character. Sure, some of the events that occur in this movie might be a little overdone, but as a character study and as an exercise in how insanity takes over after a certain time period or traumatic event, this film is a stunning piece of work. Davis really makes this film, it is a shame he died at such a young age (41 in 1991), the man absolutely had a great talent, and he is the biggest reason as to why this film is as important as it is today when it comes to looking at prison systems.

Leigh Ryan

Pure hell, which was to be expected. I didn't want to see this at first, but once it was on the screen I really became engulfed in Billy's ordeal and… MorePure hell, which was to be expected. I didn't want to see this at first, but once it was on the screen I really became engulfed in Billy's ordeal and life. I think everyone should see this classic at least once in their life.

Carlos MagalhŃes

The controversy surrounding the way the Turks are depicted is not without reason, but still the story is quite engaging and boasts a wonderful score. A… MoreThe controversy surrounding the way the Turks are depicted is not without reason, but still the story is quite engaging and boasts a wonderful score. A disturbing portrayal of hell as a Turkish prison and the conditions faced by a very unfortunate man in a horrible situation.

Jim Hunter

An American gets caught smuggling hashish and is sentenced to an interminable prison term in Turkey.
If you want to see a film about a man getting tortured for… MoreAn American gets caught smuggling hashish and is sentenced to an interminable prison term in Turkey.
If you want to see a film about a man getting tortured for two hours, then this is the film for you!
I am selling the film short with that opening line, but the sentiment - that films should be about more than just shock value polemics - stands in relation to Midnight Express, In the world of Oliver Stone's script no Turk is a good Turk, and their system of justice is as outmoded as their restrooms. There are a few scenes in which the main character, Billy Hayes, struggles to maintain his sanity, and scenes like these are reasons to watch prison dramas because how one maintains sanity in such an environment is interesting; however, these scenes are too few to be a consistent thematic thread.
John Hurt is good, especially his mourning of his cat, but Brad Davis, whose performance has been universally praised, was horrid. His &quot;you're all pigs&quot; speech was melodramatic and over-played, and all of his torture sequences felt fake.
Overall, a good prison drama like The Shawshank Redemption is a film that becomes about more than just prison and has a fine performance to carry it forward; Midnight Express has neither.

familiar stranger

Pretty good fictionalization of the factual events. The movie got me pretty much involved in it. At certain parts, I felt too concerned for the characters &… MorePretty good fictionalization of the factual events. The movie got me pretty much involved in it. At certain parts, I felt too concerned for the characters & was constantly feeling, "Hey, don't do it, you don't know the consequences if you're caught". I was almost absorbed in the movie and too. I don't know I'd have liked it as much as I did if it wasn't *based* on true story. Then again, it wasn't as great as another prisoner-escape movie 'Escape From Alcatraz' (one of my favorites).

Curtis Lilly

It's what you'd expect. Turkish prisons suck. Entertaining because i'm a sucker for prison movies. This is one of the first prison movie… MoreIt's what you'd expect. Turkish prisons suck. Entertaining because i'm a sucker for prison movies. This is one of the first prison movie I've seen where instead of getting raped in the shower first, he just becomes bi all by himself. There's just something wrong about a young Randy Quaid too.

Spencer S.

A lukewarm representation of the Turkish prison system of the time, "Midnight Express" is dangerously violent and chillingly raw, and yet is flawed by… MoreA lukewarm representation of the Turkish prison system of the time, "Midnight Express" is dangerously violent and chillingly raw, and yet is flawed by its inaccuracy and errant racist slant of the Turkish people. The story is loosely based on the 1977 book of the same name, written by American Billy Hayes, who was arrested for possession of hashish while at the Istanbul airport and sentenced to four years in prison. He and his father fight for his freedom, yell and scream at the unfair conditions of the prison, and remind each other time and again that everything will be fine and Billy will come home soon enough. The tables are turned as his sentence is extended, and we watch as his simple existence in the prison changes into one for survival. The representation of the actual prison seems fair, as the cells were threadbare, the torture and consequences of incalculable actions are atrocious, and immense strife, but the Turkish people themselves are shown as cruel, slovenly rejects. The guards are beyond cartoonish in their villainous ways of torture, especially the head guard portrayed by Paul L. Smith. The prisoners fight in the mud like ravenous pigs, many are greedy, and some are outright fiendish. Hayes comes off as a juvenile but not a latent criminal, who certainly learns from his mistakes fast, and spouts poetic language and monologues at the climax of his horrific tale. The way he is treated is nothing compared to his hopeless plight, stuck forever behind high walls. John Hurt gives an exemplary performance as a drug addicted British prisoner who tries to help Billy escape time and again, but repeatedly fails. Randy Quaid plays a prisoner who has a violent mean streak, landing himself also in prison, which leads to beatings from the head guard as he fails escaping repeatedly as well, but gets all the punishment for it. It's a twisted film, one that makes me ill thinking about it, as well as watching it. It would have had a lasting impact on Turkish prison systems if the story hadn't been so specifically and falsely changed by Oliver Stone in his screenplay and the representation of people had been less obviously villainous. The theme of freedom, whether physically or spiritually, came through, giving this a legacy as a truly brilliant film. Though it is graphic and pitifully heartbreaking, it is a film that shows the strength of the human spirit, and the lengths to which we go to remain unchained.

Japes .

Yeah it was pretty good. The acting was amazing and there were a lot of suspenseful moments.
Does anyone really understand the meaning of BASED ON A TRUE… MoreYeah it was pretty good. The acting was amazing and there were a lot of suspenseful moments.
Does anyone really understand the meaning of BASED ON A TRUE STORY?? The original story for this movie was interesting already, so I don't understand why they changed a bunch of things around. So much in this movie is so wrong, I hardly consider it "based on a true" anything. I'm just really disappointed that it deviates from the source material so much. I felt that the stuff they added into the film made it really unrealistic.
Other than the stuff they added, I felt like this was a pretty solid movie.

xGary Xx

Midnight Express is the true story of a young American who is caught trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey and is made an example of by the courts and left to… MoreMidnight Express is the true story of a young American who is caught trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey and is made an example of by the courts and left to rot in a Turkish prison. Alan Parker's extremely bleak prison drama is probably a little light on historical accuracy (it was adapted by Oliver Stone from a book written by the prisoner himself, hardly the most objective viewpoints) but strong on atmosphere and tone. It's one of those films where you start thinking "this isn't so bad", but whenever hope is presented, the rug is yanked from under them resulting in a spiralling sense of hopelessness and degradation. Parker's direction has a great use of location and composition and the central performances believable, but it does have a few weaknesses; the soundtrack is clumsy and intrusive and the "forbidden love" montage that probably seemed so daring at the time now seems very, very lame. It has also been accused of racism as the Turkish guards are shown as such sadists, but then again, this is a prison drama so you're not exactly going to see the best a society has to offer. A grimly solid prison drama that can be a little heavy on the melodrama, but it works.